Birth Anniversary: Francesco De Robertis — October 16, 1902

Francesco De Robertis was born at San Marco in Lamis, in the province of Foggia, on 16 October 1902. A serving naval officer, from 1941 he coordinated the film unit set up at the Ministry of the Navy — the unit that gave Roberto Rossellini his first feature — and in 1942 directed Alfa Tau! himself.

Dates verified on the Treccani Enciclopedia del Cinema / Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, cross-checked against the Library of Congress Name Authority File.